Lawmakers push rehabilitation, criminal-justice changes: name change, decriminalization and kit funding advance

Lawmakers detailed multiple bills intended to shift the focus of the corrections system toward rehabilitation and improved survivor services.

Representative Erin Healy (House minority leader) said Senate Bill 192 would rename the Department of Corrections to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and expand programs such as education, substance-abuse treatment and job training to reduce recidivism. "A prison shouldn't be a place of confinement but a place where people really have the opportunity to turn their lives around," Healy said.

SB 83, discussed in Judiciary committee, would change ingestion of controlled substances from a felony to a Class 1 misdemeanor; Healy noted South Dakota is one of the few states that still treats ingestion as a felony and described addiction as a health issue rather than a crime. The bill reportedly came through committee without recommendation, meaning it could be calendared on the House floor.

Senate Bill 99 would address sexual-assault evidence kits to ensure adequate supplies and support for survivors. Healy framed SB 99 as important for evidence collection and survivor support, citing the difficulty of pursuing prosecutorial outcomes without sufficient kit resources.

Why it matters: These measures collectively aim to shift state policy toward rehabilitation and better support for survivors and people with substance-use disorders; they touch court outcomes, corrections programming and survivor services.

Status and next steps Healy said SB 192 passed through State Affairs and would be heard on the House floor; SB 83 was heard in Judiciary without recommendation and may be calendared; SB 99 had passed in committee and would proceed.

Ending Legislators said these bills represent a multi-step effort to reduce recidivism and better support survivors and people struggling with addiction, with further floor votes expected soon.